'Full-bore' water main break soaks Winooski

More than 100,000 gallons of water gushed from an unoccupied building Wednesday night, slowing traffic in and around the downtown rotary. Produced Jan. 11, 2018.
JOEL BANNER BAIRD and ADAM SILVERMAN/FREE PRESS

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Water flows into the roundabout on Main Street in Winooski following a water main break Wednesday night, Jan. 10, 2018.(Photo: ADAM SILVERMAN/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

Over 100,000 gallons of water streamed through downtown Winooski Wednesday night from a burst pipe in an unoccupied building, Fire Chief John Audy said Thursday morning.

Public Work Department crews arrived at the former KeyBank on Main Street about 8 p.m. and worked for about two hours to staunch the flow and treat slippery sections of sidewalks and the rotary, Audy said.

"An eight-inch sprinkler pipe was running full-bore when we arrived," he said. "Some of the rooms had about two feet of water in them. Water was coming out of every crack and crevice of the building."

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Firefighters respond to a water main break on Main Street just north of the roundabout in Winooski on Wednesday night, Jan. 10, 2018.(Photo: ADAM SILVERMAN/FREE PRESS)

Even the former bank's drive-up teller booths were discharging water, Audy said.

The building's pipes likely seized up and burst during the region's recent cold snap, but freezing temperatures delayed the rapid release of water until the weather moderated, he added.

The phenomenon is a common one in the Northeast, even in occupied buildings, Audy said.

On Wednesday night, the city of Winooski released a bulletin warning pedestrians and motorists to seek alternative routes around the west side of the rotary.

Ice encases a burst water main Wednesday night at the former KeyBank building in Winooski on Jan. 10, 2018.(Photo: Courtesy Winooski Fire Chief John Audy)

Contact Joel Banner Baird at 802-660-1843 or joelbaird@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @VTgoingUp.